The present invention relates to display monitors for passenger vehicles, and more particularly, to display monitor systems mountable to the ceiling of a passenger vehicle.
Display monitors have become a popular accessory for passenger vehicles, and may be used in a wide variety of applications. For example, a display monitor may be used in a vehicle as a computer monitor, a navigation display, a television, a closed-caption display for exterior cameras, etc. While some display monitors are installed during manufacture of the vehicle, others are installed after the vehicles are completed. In either case, it is preferable that the display monitor be mounted securely within the passenger compartment without detracting from the styling of the vehicle interior or interfering with the driver""s view.
Vehicle display monitors may be mounted at any of various locations within the passenger compartment of a vehicle, depending on the vehicle configuration and the intended use of the monitor, One location where monitors may be mounted is on the ceiling of the vehicle. However, most vehicles have a headliner below the ceiling so the monitor must be mounted through the headliner. Since the configuration and height of ceilings and headliners vary among different vehicles, different sizes and configurations of display monitors must be manufactured to fit the different vehicles.
The invention provides a ceiling-mountable display monitor system for the passenger compartment of a vehicle. The display monitor system includes a display monitor coupled to a housing assembly. In one exemplary embodiment, the housing assembly is selectively adjustable for mounting in different vehicles having different ceiling configurations. In another exemplary embodiment, an upper portion of the housing assembly is mountable above the vehicle headliner, while a lower portion of the housing assembly is mountable below the headliner. Optionally, the upper and lower portions of the housing assembly clamp onto the headliner. The upper and/or the lower portions may be adjustable for mounting in different vehicles.